Closing up
by ReniJo
Summary: "I don't care, leave me alone! I loathe you!"-I could still hear her shout while running past me in the corridor. So a week after the incident he stopped bothering her. He swore never to talk to her, never to look at her admiringly and most importantly never ever asking her out on a date. –Sirius thought James would never be able to move on. Was he right? –Really slight angst!–


**Harry Potter & its characters © JK Rowling**

**This one-shot's plot © Me**

**Enjoy!**

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**He would never be able to move on**

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Prongs stared out if his head blankly, not giving a damn about what was going on around him. He just eyed the empty space in front of him, totally zoned out. I'd already tried –countless times for that matter– to make him snap out of his petrified state but he just couldn't be helped. He was still wearing his slightly torn Quidditch uniform which by the way was soaking wet and dripping from mud. You just have to _love_ stormy weather during a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match. I had to scoot a bit further from his side so I wouldn't get all sloppy from the dirty liquid leaking from his clothes.

Glancing about us I got sight of Remus and Peter slowly making their way to us. Moony jerked his head in a questioning manner towards James making me shrug as an answer. I didn't have a clue what's gotten into him all of a sudden. For Godric's sake, we actually won the bloody game! What could be the problem with my goofy mate?

"C'mon Prongs, change into something dry and let us celebrate in the Commons!"-I bumped his shoulder with mine. I heard him grunt but making no further progress in cutting out his crap of a phase.

"Good game, guys!"-Pete exclaimed as he stopped in front of us with Remus close in his wake. James let out a low snort then shook his head and wiped off the water dripping down his nose with his thumb in a swift and pretty rough fashion. Moony frowned to this and glanced at me. I just grimaced, mouthing "_No idea"_ to him.

"Everybody's waiting for you in the Commons"-our sandy haired friend said, trying to get some kind of reaction out of the brooding Marauder next to me. I shifted my eyes so I can see James' profile but saw nothing new. He was still staring into space with a sour expression written all over his face. Nothing offbeat, really. I restrained myself from slapping his big, silly head full of black hair sticking out weirdly but could barely do it.

"You did a good job, Prongs. You're a great Captain, don't worry about that little slip at the end, it happens"-I said good-naturedly and waited for him to at least acknowledge my turn on the case of swinging him out of his current stage. Whatever stage that was.

"Yeah, you're the best! Everybody knows that, even the Slytherins!"-Wormtail joined us after a bit of pondering over what more could be said in this situation. We still got nothing. I rolled my eyes and snapped at him.

"What the hell, man?! What the fuck is your problem? Get yourself together and stop being a killjoy!"-I stood up and kicked his beloved broom, thinking it would trigger the animal inside him. He –yet again– ruined my fun. I saw him scarcely raising his head then dropping it again. Well, now I was pissed. Just as I was about to yell his glasses off of his stupid face I heard him mumble something quietly.

"Huh?"-Came the dumb question instead of the hollering I intended to perform.

"She didn't come"-James said flatly. Ah. _Aha!_

"I thought you're over her"-Remus cut in before I could utter a word. I narrowed my eyes at him but he ignored me. _The prat._

"Yeah, but still. She's decent at cheering"-he shrugged. I nodded in agreement. When Lily attended a game she made sure her voice was heard by most of the others who participated. She didn't really understand every rule and foul but I heard her explaining to her friends that she enjoyed that excited mood which surrounded the whole stadium once the players shot up.

"I'm sure she's going to congratulate you"-Remus smiled at him encouragingly.

"I doubt that. We don't talk anymore, remember?"

"_You_ don't talk to her. Big difference"-I piped up. Yeah, we have a disturbing new situation blooming between ol' Jimmy and his dream girl, uh, ex-dream girl. At the end of our 5th year, Lily's greasy pal decided to fuck up their friendship –which existence I never understood at the first place– by saying the M word to her. Of course, Prongs got pissed as hell and jinxed the bastard some more thinking he could impress Evans doing so. It didn't happen, surprisingly, right? Lily shouted this and that first to Snivellus then to my hero of a mate and after she was finished, our dearest flower stormed off.

She said some serious stuff to James that stung really bad, like she'd rather date the Giant Squid than him and that she hated him with all her being. So after the bird tore James' heart out of its rightful place, threw it onto the concrete, stepped on it and squelched it, Prongs decided to end his suffering by closing up to her. But first, he apologized.

He tried to talk it over with her after she curtly nodded to his apology but got the same replies over and over again. _"I don't care, leave me alone! I loathe you!"_-I could still hear her shout while running past me in the corridor. So a week after the incident he stopped bothering her. He swore never to talk to her, never to look at her admiringly and most importantly never ever asking her out on a date. Fortunately the much needed summer holiday sleeked in not long after the big quarrel and he didn't have to face her for a while. We Marauders, as loyal as ever, busied ourselves by distracting him the best we could. I even forced him into a few blind dates so he'll have at least one or two summer flings to remember, but my efforts failed miserably.

After surviving the holiday and receiving our letters from Hogwarts, a strange mood fell on him. I think he started to prepare himself and make plans how to avoid Evans the best. I sometimes even heard him murmur some kind of a mantra about when he sees her he needs to turn away, be stoic –cold even– and stay the bloody hell mute.

When the day of our departure came he stopped talking to me and his parents as well. He nodded to his father, smiled at his mother and jerked his head signaling to me that he's ready to take the train. I wasn't, to be frank. Everything was so weird about him that I feared this year would suck big time without the old Prongs we got fond of. For some odd reason the Marauders managed to travel all the way to Hogwarts without meeting Evans and because of that I own Merlin and all the deity up above the sky a huge thanks. Really, you're _awesome_, guys!

The first day of term came and the four of us strolled down to the Great Hall to have a tasty, filling breakfast. That is the first time he had to fight off his old habit and walk past her like she was perfectly invisible. He did a good job. James kept his eyes glued to Dumbledore Professor's ornate throne-like chair and held back his breath while sauntering to a place far away from her. When he reached the seat she was occupying, he managed to pull a bored expression onto his face and waved nonchalantly to Mary and Marlene, Lily's best friends.

As the term went by he pretty much got used to not interacting with her. Once in a while Evans came up to me or Remus asking what was up with James but we acted like we didn't understand, like everything was absolutely fine. She actually _wanted_ to know what was going on in Potter's life. Theoretically the bird loathed him. A lot. Now, practically she just craved for information about him. The lack of interest that James showed towards her irked the hell out of dearest Lily flower.

Prongs –of course– got hold of the plight that Evans asked about him, noticed along with us that her eyes followed him almost everywhere he went and that she would stare at him during classes as well, with a confused expression written on her face. She even started to run up to him at random times asking him something irrelevant. In my opinion, this was his biggest test. Try to restraint himself and keep his act together.

I have to admit that he's been holding up pretty good but now, damn, he looks horrible. I never believed when he said that he was okay with seeing her all happy-go-lucky the entire day, occasionally doing fun stuff with her friends or reading merrily in the Common Room but I never thought that he might really miss chasing after her. Or just annoying her by talking to her. I never thought that communicating to Evans meant so much to him. But looking at him now, all beaten up by the tiny fact that she didn't attend our Quidditch match, I have to face the ugly truth. **He would never be able to move on.**

"She's probably still studying. You know her, that little smartarse"-I joked but looking at my friend's face the humor didn't impress him. _Okay, no funny talk._

"He's an idiot but that doesn't mean that he can't be right"-fortunately, kind-kind Remus stood up for me… I raised an eyebrow at him in annoyance but left the matter to be. I glanced back at James and tried to will him to get up and have a good time celebrating in the Commons. Sadly, the willing of my mind didn't help at all. He just shook his head and started to pull off his Quidditch shoes. After he got rid of them he stared at his soaked socks.

"Maybe she doesn't care anymore. She stopped coming to me. She started to mirror me"-Prongs informed us. I, as well, noticed that she started to distance herself from…well, not just him but everyone, to be precise. For like two weeks, I saw no one accompanying her to eat or to classes. Sure, she still had her usual seat next to Marlene or Mary but I didn't see her actually talking to them as much as before. Her social life started to get awkward, at least this is what Marlene told me a few days ago when I stumbled upon her in the Owlery.

At first Mary and her thought that Evans started to freak out from the N.E.W.T.s a bit earlier as normal people did –but then again, Lily is _not_ normal– but then they started to experience strange things about her. At first she ranted about Potter for hours, then raged caused by the poor boy's fishy behavior and actions –or the lack of them, really– and finally shut up and walked around the castle alone. Now she's all mysterious and silent, looking for the occasions to be unaccompanied, distracting herself with studying or just reading random books.

_These love struck wankers._ It's so obvious if you think about it a bit deeper.

"I'm sure she's off somewhere reading"-I tried to convince James again. _She's always reading…_ He finally looked up at me and managed a smile-like grimace. I grinned widely at him suddenly feeling much more comfortable with his changing expression.

"Come on, mate! Let's get to that Gryffindor Victory party"-Moony reached out his hand to him and beamed at James when he grabbed it.

.

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We found the Commons packed with drunkenly laughing, shouting, playing and dancing people. When a few of them closer to the portrait's hole noticed us, the beautiful Marauders, the cheering began mixed with some traditional encouraging songs. A few "_I love you, Sirius!"_ and _"Potter's the ace!"_ followed us as we made our way to the table stuffed with goods. I grabbed a bottle of Firewiskey then leaned against the piece of furniture and looked around in search of someone exciting.

I saw Prongs sipping a big mug of Butterbeer and talking to Peter who was shyly eyeing a short, black haired girl. James was probably teaching him some of his tricks. Or he told him dumb things so Peter would eventually screw up. _The git._ When Wormtail started to the bird situated at the red couch facing the fire I snickered crudely. I could feel it in my bones but looked at my favorite prankster partner for confirmation and as our eyes met I was sure that he said total crap to Pete. _Poor kid._ I was just about to transform my snicker to a hearty guffaw when I got sight of a fiery red head. I nodded my head towards the girl and James, wasting no time, followed my eyes. He froze in a minute, standing a few steps away from me like a perfect statue. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat.

"Hey, Evans!"-James whipped his head to me and narrowed his eyes in warning. _Relax, buddy._ Lily noticed me, turning her tired face into my direction. She slowly raised a delicate eyebrow in question. I jogged to where she was standing, looking back above my shoulder at Prongs. _C'mon, snap out of it! Stop me!_ He stared at me, not letting a single emotion taking over his face. I sighed then turned my head and halted in front of tiny, little Evans.

"Fancy seeing you here! How you doing, dearest Lily flower?"-I asked smoothly. Lily looked me up and down then frowned at me.

"What do you want, Black?"

"What?! You mean I can't come up to you and start an innocent conversation?"-I pretended to be taken aback. Of course, I knew that she knew I'm just playing around.

"No, I mean, what do you want?"-She asked again, a bit more harshly this time. I sighed yet again and sneaked a peek at James. He was busy throwing daggers at me with his eyes and I could see that he was trying hard not to look at my companion, just solely at me. I wanted to grin so bad but I gave up trying as I felt my heart squeeze at the memory of my mate's bitter expression back in the Quidditch lockers.

"I was just being friendly. Thought you could use some company this fine evening"-I lied. I originally wanted to order her to go up to James and annoy him until he snaps and snog the daylights out of her. Or something like that.-"How are you?"

"Really?"-She raised her aforementioned eyebrow even higher.

"Yeah, really"-I nodded, spiced with a crooked smile. She looked down at the massive book she was holding in her hand then back at me. I still wore my previous smile proudly if not a bit wider. She rolled her eyes and I swear there was something aching to a little curve of a smile on her lips. Lily tossed the book on a nearby coffee table and crossed her arms under her –now that I observe a bit closer– impressively grown breasts.

"Okay, be friendly, I'm listening"-she said sarcastically but I'm sure she also intended to be humorous. I glanced back at James, hoping he would already be heading towards us with flaming eyes and would save me from an awkward conversation with Evans. _Just as I thought… Fortune must really detest me._ James was looking at me with eyes ablaze, alright, but he was sure as hell motionless. He just stood there, next to the table we found our beverages on and stared with an unreadable look on his face. I winced and turned to the girl who was impatiently patting her right foot to the floor.

"I…"-I gulped uncomfortably.

"Yes?"-Lily raised her chin a bit to mock me. I'm sure she was mocking me, that _b–witch_.

"As I've already asked, how are you, sweetheart?"-I bit back.

"Fine. Everything is dandy"-she said with a not so convincing smile and a slightly annoyed tone. I nodded, not knowing what to do next. I have to be totally honest… I didn't have the thinnest clue what I wanted to do after skipping up to her and asking how she was doing. It was just some kind of instinct taking over my body and I just moved. Appeared in front of Lily and started to have this queer conversation with her. I'm exceedingly –what a word! – confused, to say the least.

"That's, uh, good"-I replied after an uneasy pause. I saw her shoulders drop and narrowed my eyes in anticipation.

"You don't have to do this, you know"-she sighed then walked to the red armchair closer to the window. She slumped down into it and took a deep breath while snuggling into the furniture. I followed her and drew a pouf under myself in a matching color of her chair.

"What exactly am I doing?"-I asked as I was sitting down.

"Trying to deal with me."

"Nah, I'm just being friendly, remember?"-I let a soft laugh escape and waved the matter off. I saw her eyes flitter away a bit into a very familiar direction. Mimicking her, I slewed my head to where her glance traveled just a few moments ago and found myself looking at my best friend. _Huh._

"But honestly, it's okay. I'm okay"-she smiled, a true one this time.

"You've been avoiding your friends for a month now. I don't think it's normal or even okay. It's pretty depressive in my books"-I said in a low voice, not wanting to be heard by the wrong ears. Hogwarts is full of people who're eager to hear some juicy gossip. Lily Evans suffering form depression, now that would lighten their day up. Lily made a funny face at me and shook her head.

"I'm not depressed. I just have a lot on my mind. I'm sure, that you're foreign to this stuff but even a total _prat_ like you can comprehend it."

"Now this, I like!"-I exclaimed, snickering. She also chuckled softly but the cheery expression disappeared as fast as it came after we heard a growl then a loud thump.

"Padfoot, I think James finally lost it"-came the calm voice of Remus a few feet away from me and my companion. Lily looked at me horrified. I guess she didn't really understand what was going on with James since that monkey refused to even say more then a "hi" to her. I stood up and started to move in the direction the Fat Lady's portrait dwelled but a soft hand pulled me back by my lower arm. I glanced back at Evans and raised an eyebrow.

"I…I'll handle this"-she said timidly. I nodded and changed route, now heading to my two other friends remaining in the room. We followed Lily with hooded eyes and hoped everything will turn out fine. As she was about to push the door so she could step out of the crowded Common Room, it swung open on it's own revealing a pissed off but mostly defeated James Potter. He looked down at her but not even a moment after squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled loudly. The whole Commons became silent, waiting for something to happen. I heard confused whispers around me but ignored them. Shaking his head, James grabbed Lily's shoulders, opened his eyes then started to talk.

"I tried! Honestly, I did, but you…"-Prongs cut himself off. I took a fast look at Peter who shrugged then observed on excitedly. Lily was beyond shocked. She stood there, in the grip of the bloke who avoided her for months and played statue. When she said she'd handle it, I totally bought it. Knowing that Lily is a mostly reasonable bird, who can easily keep James at bay –alright, that's an overstatement, but hey, she can in a morbid way–, I thought that she'll _do _something. Or react, at least. James let go of her and dug his fingers into the mess of dark hair he was so proud of. His hand then traveled down to his nape and unconsciously started massaging it.

"Potter…"-Lily seemed to snap out of her stillness and say something that will help James continue. Based on the look on her face she was eager to hear more, to understand, to know what James was going through. I wanted to offer my aid but thought otherwise. Those two needed to talk again. I didn't even care if they attacked each other with spells I just wanted my old mate back in action.

"No, don't. I'll just…go and clear my head out. Sorry for bothering you"-Prongs murmured. _"I can't believe this! When will he stop bothering me?"_ As clear as possible, I heard Lily's voice in my head as I remembered the red head complaining to her friends after James' last and sadly failed attempt at asking her out. I knew he heard it too but never would've imagined that it caused so much harm in his heart. Because clearly, he's affected by that one sentence greatly.

"James!"-I whipped my head to where Evans was and saw her moving swiftly towards my friend. She got hold of the bottom of his navy blue shirt and refused to unhand it. Prongs halted but did not make another move. He waited. Lily casted a look at me and to that I nodded while smiling encouragingly.

"I…, you weren't bothering me. I'd actually like you to…"-my best mate's dream girl started to get dangerously red and silenced herself. I snickered but as Evans snapped her head to my location and stared me down with a smothering look I shut up and gulped. She turned to James again and jerked his shirt, hard.

"Would you mind turning around and actually look at me?!"-I heard Remus choke on his own saliva and Peter squeak quietly beside me. Looking around the Common Room, I saw some house mates heading back to their respective dorms and others still lingering nearby. As I was returning my attention to the scene blooming out between Evans and James, the founder of the Marauders –well, beside me of course– swirled around and glared at the auburn girl.

"What?"-Prongs spat.

"What do you mean _what_?! I'm in the middle of explaining myself and you just _dare_ to show your back to me! What kind of a man are you, Potter?"-Lily screamed at him. _Ahh, old times are back. How refreshing!_

"The kind you wouldn't date if it were a choice between him and the Giant Squid!"-James hollered getting more and more worked up. I grinned at the guys standing next to me and reached for another bottle of Firewiskey. Evans put her hand over her lips and widened her eyes.

"James"-a new voice made its way to our ears as everyone present turned towards its owner. Marlene looked at the two of them –but mostly James– firmly.

"What do _you_ want, McKinnon?"-I grumbled. Prongs nodded and raised an eyebrow at the tall, blond bird.

"Shut up, Black!"

"Hey…!"-James tried to defend me but Marlene cut him off.

"You too, Potter! Let that poor girl talk! I can't believe you, really…"-she trailed off as she sat down and crossed her legs. James ruffled his hair and when he found it messy enough, he looked back at Lily. He tilted his head as a sign to her that he's listening and she can go on. Evans sighed then pushed back her braid from her shoulder so it would rest on her back.

"Maybe it would be best to continue this privately"-she said after a while, slightly flushed. McKinnon groaned and shot me a pointed look. _What?! What does she want me to do?_ I cleared my throat and raised a hand.

"You got us involved from the very start, so my sincere opinion is that we're entitled to hear the rest of it."-The two of them glared at me so I stepped back in retreat.-"But don't mind me, I'm just blabbering"-I finished.

"He's right, though"-James picked up the thread of the conversation.-"I want everyone to be my witness if you say something crucial."-Lily narrowed her eyes, clearly angry at him and me and everyone attending our little get-together. I could swear I saw smoke coming out of her ears as she stomped her right foot and started yelling.

"FINE! Alright, you bloody wanker! I want to be close! I want you to bother me as much as you can! I want you to ask me out everyday or just say stupid things so I know you're still interested, that someone so perfect still wants me! That one of the most beloved, charismatic, handsome and kind guys wants me, ordinary, read-head, muggle born Lily to be his. I just…I just want you to start acknowledging me again. Ask me things. Ask about my night, how I slept, then about breakfast, what I'm gonna do after classes, about the upcoming exams, anything. Just don't ignore me anymore"-her voice cracked and I saw her eyes watering as well. I glanced at James who was breathing rapidly, searching for something with his eyes but finding nothing. Lily didn't dare to look him in the eyes so she kept hers on patch on the carpet which easily could be some kind of alcohol.

Marlene moved to stand up but couldn't so she just gazed at us, the three Marauders rooting for our fourth member silently. I saw Remus wink at her and she chuckled softly. I patted Peter on the shoulder as he looked up at me, smiling widely. _Our son is all grown up! Dealing with girls and all._

"Oh, for Godric's sake, was that _so_ hard to admit?!"-Prongs laughed and pulled Lily into his chest hugging her tightly. I noticed as he let go of a heavy sigh that his nerves visibly calmed down.

**He'll never move on. Not after the love of his life agreed to go out on a date with him.**

End.

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**Read & review, please! I'd really like to know what you think about it. I'm not confident in my writing anymore. I used to write a lot earlier but now I just stopped. I'd like to ask you to leave reasonable reviews because I'm pretty confused and sensitive to negative ones lately. I accept constructive criticism but please don't be harsh when giving one. :D **

**Take care, Reni's out! **

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_**Note:**__**I'm sure you gathered that**__**this entire fanfiction is in Sirius' POV. **__** At some point I **_

_**really wanted to try to write in a different point of view but never had the courage and motivation to actually act on it. Now, as I was just having a shower one night, inspiration hit me and this picture of James sitting on a bench looking all 'bleh' I thought I could use it for a fanfic. Thinking about it more I imagined Sirius sitting beside him commenting on his mate's state in his mind. I hope you liked it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.**_


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